PESHAWAR, Dec 27: Hawaldar Rehman is in the line of duty despite losing both legs in a landmine explosion. He is permanently disabled, but his commandant has assigned him a ‘soft job’ in Kurram Militia, an auxiliary of the Frontier Corps.

“Disability did not demoralise me, rather it worked to boost my morale. Now I am company commander in Kurram Militia and will continue my job till the date of retirement,” he told Dawn with a brief smile on his face. He will continue his service for four more years.

He said that Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had invited 20 disabled soldiers including him to Army House in Rawalpindi and asked them to continue their service if they wanted.

After capturing heights from militants in mountainous central sub-division of Kurram Agency, Hawaldar Rehman was combing a bunker when he stepped on a landmine. He and his 15 colleagues suffered injuries. He underwent extensive surgery to amputate both of his legs in Rawalpindi.

Commandant Kurram Militia Col Sherjeel said that like Hawaldar Rehman four other maimed soldiers had been provided ‘soft jobs’ in Kurram Militia. He said that rules regarding provision of ‘soft jobs’ to personnel were already existed in the army. “Now disabled officers and soldiers have been granted permission to continue their job if they want to do so,” he said.

Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force functioning under the federal interior ministry, has been operating as frontline fighting force against militants in tribal borderlands.

Established in early 1900s, prime responsibility of the force was to help civil administration in and outside Fata when called upon, to patrol border with Afghanistan and stop cross-border smuggling. After 9/11, FC was assigned additional role to coordinate with the regular army in fight against terrorism in tribal areas.

FC Spokesman in Balahisar, Peshawar, Major Fazl said that the force had lost 957 soldiers in the ongoing war against terrorism and 2,700 had suffered injuries. Among them 208 soldiers had been disabled.

Security forces have paid heavy price in the war against terrorism. According to army, security forces had suffered 3,097 casualties till October 2011 while 721 personnel had become disabled permanently.

“We don’t forget our martyrs at all,” said Col Sharjeel, who explained FC had started numerous activities for the welfare of legal heirs of the killed personnel.

He said that April 30 was observed as “Martyrs Day” every year to pay tributes to the officers and soldiers of the FC who had rendered sacrifices for defending their motherland. He said that families of slain personnel were specially invited to functions organised on the day.

Officials said that legal heirs of every slain soldier was paid Rs1,000,000 cash compensation by the interior ministry while each permanent disabled soldier was paid Rs300,000. They said that Rs150,000 were paid to seriously injured and Rs50,000 to soldier with minor injuries.

The family of a slain soldier also gets Rs100,000 from the FC Headquarters, Rs60,000 insurance, Rs10,000 from the respective unit and Rs50,000 is paid to his every daughter for dowry.

In addition, according to the spokesman, free education was imparted to the wards of slain soldier up to intermediate, annual scholarships were granted to his talented children, jobs were provided to them in the force and a five-marla house was built for his family.